Cordless Roller Shade

ABSTRACT

A cordless roller shade includes at least an upper elongate support, a lower elongate support, an anchor seat and an automatic winding means. The anchor seat and the automatic winding means are installed on two end of the upper elongate support. A shade assembly also is provided that has an axle at one side coupling with the anchor seat and rotatable. The automatic winding means has a second cap assembly hinged a second cap inside that has a second shaft on another side. The second cap holds a wound elastic element inside. The second shaft is coupled with the axle of the shade assembly. Through rotation of the second cap the cordless roller shade can be retracted and extended easily and smoothly.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a cordless roller shade and particularly to a shade that has an automatic winding means and an anchor seat that are coupled together to automatically control retraction and extension of the cordless roller shade to facilitate operation.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

There are many different types of window coverings on the market such as Venetian blinds, pleated window coverings, roman shades and the like. They mainly aim to be installed at doors and windows of houses to block sunshine and serve decorative purpose. Depending on different user requirements some window coverings have a lift cord to control retraction and extension for lifting or lowering. For a single panel window coverings 10 a winding buffer means 11 is usually adopted. The winding buffer means 11 mainly includes a case, a sleeve, an external coupling member, a lid and a rotary element. To extend the shade, winding is made clockwise and the sleeve rotates idly because of a spring is extended outwards, and extension of the shade can be done smoothly. To retract the shade, winding is made counterclockwise, the sleeve is latched and rotated synchronously due to tightening of the spring, hence retraction of the shade is slower. The winding buffer means 11 thus constructed has drawbacks, notably the window coverings can only be extended smoothly and retracted slowly in a given direction due to structural restriction. The buffer direction cannot be changed according to user's desire.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention aims to provide a cordless roller shade to resolve the aforesaid problem of the conventional window coverings that cannot be anchored at a selected elevation during retraction or extension, and also take into account of safety issue. Through rotation of an automatic winding means the cordless roller shade can be retracted and extended easily and smoothly to facilitate operation.

To achieve the foregoing object the cordless roller shade of the invention mainly includes an upper elongate support, a lower elongate support, a shade assembly, an anchor seat and an automatic winding means. The upper elongate support has one end coupling with the anchor seat and other end coupling with the automatic winding means. The anchor seat has a first cap assembly hinged a rotary assembly inside. The rotary assembly has a first shaft at one side to couple with one end of an axle of the shade assembly. The automatic winding means has a second cap assembly pivotally coupled with a second cap which has a second shaft at another side and a wound elastic element located therein. The second shaft is coupled with other end of the axle of the shade assembly.

By means of the structure set forth above, the automatic winding means installed on the other end of the upper elongate support can transmit and control retraction and extension of the cordless roller shade. Operation is easier and smoother.

The foregoing, as well as additional objects, features and advantages of the invention will be more readily apparent from the following detailed description, which proceeds with reference to the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a conventional window coverings with a shade winding buffer means to control retraction and extension thereof.

FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the invention.

FIG. 3 is an exploded view of the automatic winding means of the invention.

FIG. 4 is a schematic view of the shade assembly of the invention pushed (or pulled) manually.

FIG. 5 is a schematic view of the shade assembly of the invention pushed manually.

FIG. 6 is a schematic view of the shade assembly of the invention pulled manually.

FIG. 7 is an exploded view of another embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 8 is an exploded view of the automatic winding means according to FIG. 7.

FIG. 9 is a schematic view of the shade assembly pushed (or pulled) manually according to FIG. 7.

FIG. 10 is an exploded view of yet another embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Please refer to FIG. 2, the cordless roller shade 20 according to the invention has an upper elongated support 30 with an anchor seat 60 located at one end and an automatic winding means 70 at another end to form a linking relationship to do transmission and control retraction and extension of the cordless roller shade 20. The cordless roller shade 20 mainly includes the upper elongated support 30, a lower elongated support 40, a shade assembly 50, the anchor seat 60 and the automatic winding means 70.

The upper elongated support 30 is elongate and has a guiding trough 31 inside that has two ends formed respectively a fastening trough 32 and 33.

The lower elongated support 40 is elongate and spaced from the upper elongated support 30 at a lower side.

The shade assembly 50 is located between the upper elongated support 30 and the lower elongated support 40. In an embodiment shown in the drawings, it has an axle 51 with an axle hole 511 formed at one end thereof.

Referring to FIG. 2, the anchor seat 60 is installed at one end of the upper elongated support 30, and includes a first cap assembly 61 hinged a rotary assembly 62 inside. The first cap assembly 61 has a first coupling member 611 which has a first housing space 6111 at one side and a first anchor hole 6112 above the first housing space 6111, first fastening holes 6113 on the periphery and a first opening 6114 at a lower side. The first coupling member 611 further has a first latch member 6115 extended from another side to be wedged in one end of the guiding trough 31 of the upper elongated support 30. The first lid 612 covers one side of the first coupling member 611 and has apertures 6121 on the periphery corresponding to the first fastening holes 6113 and a first strut 6122 extended from one side corresponding to the first opening 6114. The rotary assembly 62 is held in the first housing space 6111 and pivoted on the first strut 6122 for anchoring, and has a first shaft 621 at one side running through the first opening 6114 of the first coupling member 611 and insert in the axle hole 511 at one end of the axle 51 to form coupling. The anchor seat 60 may also provide other embodiment as shown in FIG. 10, in which the anchor seat 60 b has an upright plate 61 b with a first latch member 611 b extended from one side thereof to be wedged in one end of the guiding trough 31 of the upper elongate support 30. The upright plate 61 b also has a second shaft 612 b extended from the one side thereof to be inserted in an axle hole (not shown in the drawings) at one end of the axle 51 of the shade assembly 50 to form coupling.

Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, the automatic winding means 70 has a second cap assembly 71 hinged a second cap 72 which holds a wound elastic element 73 inside. The second cap assembly 71 has a second coupling member 711 with one side fastening to a second lid 712 and a second housing space 7111 at one side, and a second anchor hole 7112 at an upper side and second fastening holes 7113 on the periphery, a second opening 7114 at a lower side and a second latch member 7115 at another side. The second lid 712 covers one side of the second coupling member 711 and has apertures 7121 on the periphery corresponding to the second fastening holes 7113 of the second coupling member 711 and a second strut 7122 corresponding to the second opening 7114. The second strut 7122 has a latch slot 7123. The second cap 72 is held in the second housing space 7111 of the second coupling member 711 and run through by the second strut 7122 of the second lid 712 for anchoring, and also has a second shaft 721 at one side running through the second opening 7114 of the second coupling member 711 and the axle hole 511 at other end of the axle 51 for coupling. The second cap 72 has a housing chamber 722 at other side with an aperture 723 in the center to be coupled with the second strut 7122 of the second lid 712, and a latch hook 724 on an inner rim. The elastic element 73 is held in the housing chamber 722 of the second cap 72. The elastic element 73 has a hook 732 at an outer side with a notch 7321 formed thereon to latch on the latch hook 724, and a clipping member 731 in the center to latch in the latch slot 7123 of the second strut 7122 for anchoring so that the shade assembly 50 located beneath the upper elongated support 30 can be extended or retracted by the elastic element 73.

For installation of the cordless roller shade 20, the anchor seat 60 and the automatic winding means 70 are installed on two ends of the upper elongated support 30. Through rotation of the second cap 72 of the automatic winding means 70 the cordless roller shade 20 can be driven synchronously to be retracted and extended. Operation is simpler and smoother.

During retracting and extending of the shade assembly 50, referring to FIGS. 4, 5 and 6, a user can push (or pull) the lower elongated support 40 with one hand that serves as a gravity balance bar. The elastic element 73 held in the second cap 72 of the automatic winding means 70 is retracted or extended to move the shade assembly 50 upwards or downwards in a retracting or extending condition. When the shade assembly 50 is moved downwards, the lower elongated support 40 provides a gravity force to make the lowered shade assembly 50 remain still without retracting upwards. Thus the operation of the cordless roller shade 20 can be controlled easily.

Referring to FIGS. 7 and 8, the cordless roller shade 20 may also be a double-layer window coverings that includes an upper elongated support 20 a, a lower elongated support 30 a, a transverse moving means 40 a, a shade lifting assembly 50 a and an automatic winding means 60 a.

The upper elongated support 20 a is a hollow and elongated rail and has two corresponding fastening troughs 201 a formed inside and a guiding trough 202 a at each side, and a first aperture 21 a and a second aperture 22 a close to two ends thereof. It has a front side with one end thereof forming a first hole 23 a and a second hole 24 a.

The lower elongated support 30 a is a circular rail spaced from the upper elongated support 20 a at a lower side. It has a slot 31 a at an upper side and a flute 32 a at one side of the slot 31 a.

The transverse moving means 40 a includes at least a first plate 41 a and a second plate 42 a, an anchor member 43 a, a latch rod 44 a and a first fastening plate 45 a and a second fastening plate 46 a that correspond to each other. The first and second plates 41 a and 42 a are located above the first and second apertures 21 a and 22 a, and can be moved reciprocally at two ends of the guiding trough 202 a. The first plate 41 a has one end with a first coupling hole 411 a and a plurality of fastening holes 412 a formed thereon, and another end with a first and a second holes 413 a and 414 a formed thereon. It also has a first latch trough 415 a at the bottom. The second plate 42 a has one end with a second coupling hole 421 a formed thereon corresponding to the first coupling hole 411 a and a plurality of fastening holes 422 a formed on the surface, and a second latch trough 423 a at the bottom corresponding to the first latch trough 415 a of the first plate 41 a. The anchor member 43 a is fastened to the guiding trough 202 a of the upper elongate support 20 a close to the first plate 41 a, and has a guiding wheel 431 a at a lower side of one end thereof. The latch rod 44 a is coupled on the first latch trough 415 a and second latch trough 423 a at the bottom of the first and second plates 41 a and 42 a, and has two ends formed respectively a latch element 441 a and 442 a to be inserted in the first coupling hole 411 a and second coupling hole 421 a of the first and second plates 41 a and 42 a for anchoring. The first and second fastening plates 45 a and 46 a have respectively a boss 451 a and 461 a with a fastening hole 452 a and 462 a formed thereon. The bosses 451 a and 461 a run respectively through the first and second apertures 21 a and 22 a to be fastened to the bottom of the first and second plates 41 a and 42 a to form grooves 453 a and 463 a in the center to hold the latch rod 44 a. At two ends thereof there are upright plates 454 a and 464 a directing downwards. The first upright plate 454 a has a first opening 455 a. The second upright plate 464 a has a second opening 465 a.

The shade lifting assembly 50 a is located between the upper elongated support 20 a and the lower elongated support 30 a. It mainly includes a first panel 51 a, a second panel 52 a and a lift cord assembly 53 a. The first panel 51 a has zebra stripes formed thereon as depicted in an embodiment shown in the drawings. The first panel 51 a has one side fastened to the bottom of the upper elongated support 20 a and coupled with the upright plates 454 a and 464 a of the first and second fastening plates 45 a and 46 a. Through a first lift cord 531 a and a second lift cord 532 a of the shade lifting assembly 50 a the first panel 51 a can be moved reciprocally. The first panel 51 a has a first axle 511 a at one side, one end of the first axle 511 a running through the second opening 465 a of the second fastening plate 46 a and inserting in a second coupling cap 63, and an axle hole 512 a at another end to be coupled with a transmission shaft 6111 a of a first coupling cap 62, and another side held in the lower elongated support 30 a through the slot 31 a. The second panel 52 a has one side located below the first panel 51 a and is coupled with an aperture 631 a of the second coupling cap 63 a and an axle hole 522 a at another end run through by a shaft 614 a of a third gear 613 a hinged below the first coupling cap 62 a. The first lift cord 531 a of the lift cord assembly 53 a is fastened to the first hole 413 a of the first plate 41 a and runs through the first hole 23 a of the upper elongated support 20 a. The second lift cord 532 a is fastened to the second hole 414 a of the first plate 41 a and winds around the guiding wheel 431 a of the anchor member 43 a and runs through the second hole 24 a of the upper elongated support 20 a.

The automatic winding means 60 a has at least the first coupling cap 62 a and the second cap 63 a at two ends of the upper elongated support 20 a, and a transmission assembly 61 located in the first coupling cap 62 a that has a first, second and third gears 611 a, 612 a and 613 a engaging with one another and at least one elastic element 615 a, and a transmission shaft 6111 a coupling with the first gear 611 a. The first coupling cap 62 a has a box 622 a containing a housing chamber 621 a and a lid 623 a. The box 622 a has a first latch member 624 a at an upper side of one side thereof to be wedged in one end of the upper elongated support 20 a. The housing chamber 621 a has a plurality of openings 625 a. The lid 623 a is fastened to an outer side of the housing chamber 621 a. On the lid 623 a there are, from the upper side downwards, a post 624 a , a strut 625 a and a rod 626 a running through respectively the first, second and third gears 611 a, 612 a and 613 a. The second coupling cap 63 a has a second latch member 632 a at one side corresponding to the first latch member 624 a to be wedged in another end of the upper elongate support 20 a.

When the first and second panels 51 a and 52 a are pushed by user's hands, the first gear 611 a hinged on the transmission shaft 6111 a is rotated and drives synchronously the second gear 612 a and the third gear 613 a coupled with the elastic element 615 a. As a result, the transmission shaft 6111 a coupled with the first gear 611 a and the shaft 614 a extended from the other side of the third gear 613 a also are driven so that the first and second panels 51 a and 52 a can be lifted in a retracting condition or lowered in an extending condition (referring to FIG. 9). Through the engaging first, second and third gears 611 a, 612 a and 613 a the first and second panels 51 a and 52 a can be lifted and retracted, or lowered and extended at the same time. Other embodiments may also be adopted to accomplish the same result, such as with a belt-pulley assembly or a chain assembly to substitute the engaging gears previously discussed. Thus through the transmission assembly 61 a or automatic winding means 60 a, the first and second panels 51 a and 52 a of the double-layer window coverings can be controlled to be retracted and extended easily and smoothly. 

1. A cordless roller shade, comprising: an upper elongated support; a lower elongated support spaced from the upper elongated support at a lower side; a shade assembly which is located between the upper elongated support and the lower elongated support and has an axle on one side thereof; an anchor seat located at one end of the upper elongated support and coupled with the axle; and an automatic winding means which is located at another end of the upper elongated support and coupled with the shade assembly and has an elastic element located inside to transmit the shade assembly.
 2. The cordless roller shade of claim 1, wherein the anchor seat has a first cap assembly hinged a rotary assembly inside.
 3. The cordless roller shade of claim 2, wherein the first cap assembly has a first coupling member which has a first housing space at one side and a first latch member extended from another side, the rotary assembly being held in the first housing space and having a first shaft on one side thereof.
 4. The cordless roller shade of claim 3 further having first lid to cover the one side of the first coupling member, the first lid having a first strut extended from one side thereof.
 5. The cordless roller shade of claim 1, wherein the anchor seat has an upright plate which has a first latch member extended from one side to be wedged in the upper elongated support and a second shaft extended from the one side.
 6. The cordless roller shade of claim 1, wherein the elastic element is wound and held in a second cap which has a second shaft on one side.
 7. The cordless roller shade of claim 6, wherein the automatic winding means has a second coupling member which has a second housing space at one side and a second latch member extended from another side, the second cap being held in the second housing space.
 8. The cordless roller shade of claim 7 further having a second lid to cover the one side of the second coupling member and a second strut extended from one side thereof that has a second latch slot latched by one end of the elastic element.
 9. A cordless roller shade, comprising: a hollow and upper elongate support; a lower elongate support spaced from the upper elongated support at a lower side; a transverse moving means which is located on the upper elongate support and includes at least: a first plate and a second plate located at two ends of the upper elongate support; an anchor member which is fastened to the upper elongate support and has a guiding wheel located thereon; a latch rod which is located on the upper elongate support and has two ends coupling respectively on the first plate and the second plate; and a first fastening plate and a second fastening plate that have respectively a boss located thereon to run through the upper elongate support and be fastened to the bottom of the first plate and the second plate and having an upright plate directing downwards from one end thereof; a shade lifting assembly which is located between the upper elongate support and the lower elongate support and has a first panel and a second panel and a first lift cord and a second lift cord linking to the transverse moving means; and an automatic winding means which is located at one end of the upper elongate support and linked to the panel lift cord assembly and has an elastic element located inside to transmit the panel lift cord assembly.
 10. The cordless roller shade of claim 9, wherein the first plate has a plurality of first fastening holes at one end, the second plate having a plurality of second fastening holes at one end thereof, the first and second fastening plates being fastened to the bottom of the first plate and the second plate through the first and second fastening holes.
 11. The cordless roller shade of claim 9, wherein the first panel and the second panel have zebra stripes formed thereon.
 12. The cordless roller shade of claim 9, wherein the first lift cord is fastened to a first hole formed on the first plate and threaded through the upper elongate support, the second lift cord being fastened to a second hole formed on the first plate and wound around the guiding wheel and threaded through the upper elongate support.
 13. The cordless roller shade of claim 9, wherein the first panel has one end coupled with the upright plate of the first fastening plate and the second fastening plate and is movable reciprocally through the first lift cord and the second lift cord.
 14. The cordless roller shade of claim 9, wherein the automatic winding means includes at least one transmission assembly and a transmission shaft coupling with the transmission assembly.
 15. The cordless roller shade of claim 14, wherein the transmission assembly includes a plurality of engaging gears and the elastic element.
 16. The cordless roller shade of claim 15, wherein the transmission assembly has a first gear coupling with the transmission shaft and a third gear extended to form a shaft.
 17. The cordless roller shade of claim 16, wherein the transmission shaft is coupled with the first panel and the shaft is coupled with the second panel. 